


To Live As Friends

by CycloneRachel



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Brief mentions of other characters - Freeform, Comfort/Angst, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I would say season 3 finale spoilers again, One Shot, but we're 2 weeks away from season 4, partly posted on tumblr, sorry for the unintentional rhyme, they're not spoilers anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 15:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16162022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CycloneRachel/pseuds/CycloneRachel
Summary: Or, three times Brainy asked his acquaintances who their best friends were, and one time he was asked that question about himself.





	To Live As Friends

Querl and Kara were watching something together- something he couldn’t recall, even though his memory was perfect, although he knew he’d probably watch it again as Kara would do so at some point- when he thought to ask, for the first time.

“Kara?”

She turned down the TV, propping her arm on a throw pillow and turning towards Querl, leaning in a little bit as he captured her attention.

“Yeah?”

“Who is your best friend?”

Kara didn’t like that question. She hated choosing- there were too many important people in her life, too many options. She could only divide them up chronologically, and even that stirred up guilt.

“On Earth?”

Querl nodded.

“Well, there’s Alex- we argued a lot, at first, but once we really started getting along, there was nothing getting in the way of that. And when I first became Supergirl, Winn and James. Winn made my suit, James had seen my cousin in action and believed in me from the beginning- and though we’ve had some issues, they’re still 2 of the best friends I’ve ever had.”

“What about Lena?”

Kara sighed. “She’s… complicated. But at first, yeah- she’s the only person I can be Kara around, and she doesn’t also see me as Supergirl. It’s nice, for that pressure to be relieved- but it’s also hard to keep that up.”

Querl nodded again.

“Yes, a dilemma of duality. It is an interesting situation, to be sure.”

Kara almost wanted to ask him if he knew how it ended- how Lena would react to her revealing her identity, what she would do once she finally found out. But she knew he wouldn’t answer, so she said nothing.

Meanwhile, he also stayed silent.

But he was wondering- _if Winn is that important to you, how do you see me?_

~

He asked the second time, though not to the same person, when he and Lena were working together some time later.

“Ms. Luthor?”

She very carefully put down what she was working on, and turned to him.

“You know, you can just call me Lena.” She said. “We’re working together, it isn’t as though I’m your boss now.”

“I am aware.” Querl answered. “It is just that, in my time, you are a respected figure- and I thought it respectful to refer to you in such a fashion.”

Lena nodded.

“I may be that way years from now.” She said. “But for the time being, you are allowed to use my first name.”

“Right- _Lena_.” Querl said. “Anyway, I was going to ask, who would you consider your best friend?”

Lena sighed.

For years, she hadn’t been able to answer that question- nobody would have said that about her, after all, they wouldn’t even consider it- yet, in recent times, she had too many answers.

“Well, for a number of years, my best friend was honestly Lex.” She answered. “My brother- and I’m sure you know all about _him_.”

“As an enemy of Superman, yes- some may even call him Superman’s arch-enemy. However, in terms of intellectual contributions, and inventions, the credit is all yours.”

Lena smiled.

“But I am not supposed to say much about that.” He said. “So I will not continue.”

“I get it.” She said. “And, thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

Lena nodded in acknowledgement, before continuing.

“But, of course, that was before Lex and Superman became arch-enemies. And after that, while I was first trying to rid myself of the reputation my family had soon become infamous for, I met Jack- who was my best friend, before becoming my boyfriend. Then, of course, there was Sam, and finally, now, Kara. And along with her, Alex, and Winn and James and Eve- though those relationships were strictly professional, as most of mine have been, I believe now they’ve become people I could trust. People who will believe me, when others accuse me of being nothing more than a Luthor.”

Querl smiled sadly, upset on her behalf. “Well, I am glad that you have such a support system.” he said. “Such a thing is certainly important, for people such as us.”  
Lena placed her hand over his.

“Definitely.” She said, quietly.

He still wondered, however, if she would ever trust him as much as he did her.

~

And so he continued asking, despite his limited social circle.

J’onn, once he located him, told him that there was nobody he strictly considered his best friend- although, Alex and Kara and Winn were as close to him as family, and he only wished he could have gotten to know the Danvers parents better.

James, to the surprise of nobody, said that Clark was his best friend- though, after he moved to National City, Kara and Winn became just as important to him as Superman had once been. Especially Winn (and didn’t _that_ make the guilt Brainy felt return in full force)- who, before he’d left, James had told that he considered like a brother to him.

He’d even considered what Mon-El and Imra would have said, if they were there, and although being in the Legion together had certainly made them friends, and they- as well as the other Legionnaires- may have called him their friend, he doubted he was worth that. Especially after what he had recently done, and how he had spoken to one person in particular who considered him a friend.

~

Finally, there was only Alex left to ask, and of everyone, she was the most difficult to talk to, even though he had the most opportunities to speak to her personally.

“You’re pretty quiet today, Brainy.” She said, coming up beside his desk.

“The city is quiet.” Querl answered. “Surprisingly, there is little activity- and if it exists, Supergirl can handle it, such is not our concern.”

“Right.” Alex said. “What are you thinking about?”

That was a complicated question, usually. He would have had so many answers for her, on any other day, given who he was, but on this one, he was only concerned about one thing. And of course he was going to answer her honestly, even if it didn’t result in the best way.

“Who would you consider your best friend?” he asked. “Other than your sister, that is.”

Alex sat down, blinking, then stared off into nowhere.

“You know…” she started. “Recently, and I didn’t think I’d ever say this before, I would have to say Winn.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. When I was working with him, I thought of him as Kara’s friend, at first- but, by the time he left, I realized how much we truly meant to each other. How much we’d become like family, and how I’d come to rely on him, even for such a short time.”

Querl looked down, not making eye contact with her.

“That is what I thought.” He said.

Alex stared, again, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

“What is it?”

“All of you mentioned him.” He answered, simply. “Winn, that is. Though I only knew him for a short time, you have all described him as so important, a true friend and family member even though none of you are related to him by blood. And I know- I- I know… that there is no way that I will be able to replace him, in your minds. No matter how long I stay in this time.”

“Oh.” Alex said.

“I do not believe I have ever had someone that I considered my best friend.” He answered. “And though the Legionnaires say so about me… they would not, if they saw me here. If they knew how I was acting, abandoning them to save myself.”

Alex could hardly stand it, she pulled him into a hug right then and there.

“Brainy, you are our friend.” She answered. “You may not be here for long, but as long as you are, I know you’ll be a friend to all of us- and Winn would say the same thing.”

Querl only hugged her in return, letting his actions speak for him.

_That is all I needed to hear. Thank you._


End file.
